J.J. Watt's fundraiser for Hurricane Harvey relief officially ended on Friday at 6 p.m. ET. And so, we know how much money the Texans' star defensive end raised to help those in need after Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston.
The final figure? $37,132,057
Of note: That number appears to still be growing despite the fundraiser being closed. The screenshot above was taken at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Earlier, Watt posted a message to the fundraising page to thank everyone for their generosity:
There are not enough words to thank you all for your generosity. If there is one thing that I have taken away from these last few weeks, it is the reassurance of how much good is out there in our world. When times are the toughest, humanity stands at its strongest and you have all helped to prove that emphatically. On Friday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. CT, we will complete the fundraising portion of our efforts to dedicate our time to ensuring every dollar is put to work for the people in the devastated areas in and around Houston. There are many places you could have donated your hard-earned money and I'm honored you have chosen to join this effort to support the people who were affected most by Hurricane Harvey. Please keep this spirit of helping one another alive. The world is a better place when we all take care of each other.
Remember: Watt's initial fundraising goal wasn't even in the million-dollar range. So it's pretty remarkable that more than 200,000 donors came together to raise more than $37 million.
Already, Watt and the Texans have been hard at work to distribute supplies to the city.
This is what we'll be distributing today pic.twitter.com/YVyOC4jRaj
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) September 3, 2017
At the time, Watt made it clear that those supplies were not a result of the fundraiser he set up. Instead, he's planning to take his time to make sure he spends the money wisely.
"Once we do start spending that money, this is my plan, just to give you an idea where we're at now, so you can understand me. Because I know people are trusting me with their money to make sure that I make the right decisions," Watt said. "I'm taking my time, I'm going to make sure I do this thing right. Because this is a long-term project. This is not a one-day, not a one-week, not a one-year project.
"I talked to people from [local charities], I talked to people that were in Katrina, learned what they did right and also learned from their mistakes. The biggest thing everybody keeps telling me is, 'Take your time and make sure you do it right.' So that's exactly what I'm going to do, I'm going to take my time, make sure I work with local organizations, that we do it right here in the city, so that money goes straight to the people of Houston who need it most."
On the field, the Texans responded to their Week 1 home loss with a road win over the Bengals on Thursday night, which was sealed by Watt's final tackle. In August, Texans coach Bill O'Brien said that the season would be dedicated to the people and city of Houston.